--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have seen that a myth could never…" description: "\"“We have seen that a myth could never approached in a purely profane setting. It was only comprehensible in a liturgical context that set it apart from..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c7/karen-armstrong-1053_change_we-have-seen-that-a-myth-could-never-app_2482429.jpg" --- # We have seen that a myth could never approached in a… ![“We have seen that a myth could never approached in a purely profane setting. It was only comprehensible in a liturgical context that set it apart from everyday life; it must be experienced as part of a process of personal transformation. None, of this surely applies to the novel, which can be read…” quote by Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c7/karen-armstrong-1053_change_we-have-seen-that-a-myth-could-never-app_2482429.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c7/karen-armstrong-1053_change_we-have-seen-that-a-myth-could-never-app_2482429.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c7/karen-armstrong-1053_change_we-have-seen-that-a-myth-could-never-app_2482429.jpg) > ““We have seen that a myth could never approached in a purely profane setting. It was only comprehensible in a liturgical context that set it apart from everyday life; it must be experienced as part of a process of personal transformation. None, of this surely applies to the novel, which can be read anywhere at all witout ritual trappings, and must, if it is any good, eschew the overtly didactic. Yet the experience of reading a novel has certain qualities that remind us of the mythology. It can be seen as a form of mediation. Readers have to live with a novel for days or even weeks. It prljects them into another worl, parallel to but apart from their ordinary lives. They know perfectly well that this fictional realm is not 'real' and yet while they are reading it becomes compelling. A powerful novel bcomes part of the backdrop of lives long after we have laid the book aside. It is an excercise of make-believe, that like yoga or a religious festival breaks down barriers of space and time and extends our sympathies to empathise with others lives and sorrows. It teaches compassion, the ability to 'feel with' others. And, like mythology , an important novel is transformative. If we allow it do so, can change us forever.”” [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Novels can act like modern myths, offering transformative, empathetic experiences when read deeply. **In simple terms:** Novels can transform readers like myths do. Key Takeaway Read novels as meditative journeys. Themes mythology novels empathy transformation ritual Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - literary analysis - therapy - education Key Concepts Narrative immersion psychological projection emotional resonance Questions to Reflect On - How does sustained reading shape personal identity? - Can a novel replace traditional rites of passage? A Different Perspective Novels lack formal ritual, so their impact depends on reader engagement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Everyday life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Personal transformation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-transformation/) [Space and time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-and-time/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) ## Related quotes > [“...the experience of reading a novel has certain qualities that remind us of the traditional apprehension of mythology. It can be seen as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/the-experience-of-reading-a-novel-has-certain-qualities-that-remind/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [It feels like every single song is a chapter from a truly important novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-raymonde/it-feels-like-every-single-song-is-a-chapter-from-a-truly-important/) Simon Raymonde > [Jekyll and Hyde, in particular, is such an important novel in terms of suspense and setting a perfect scene for crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanna-knight/jekyll-and-hyde-in-particular-is-such-an-important-novel-in-terms-of/) [Alanna Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanna-knight/) > ['Great Expectations' was an important novel in my adolescence. It was very much one of those emblematic novels that made me wish I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/great-expectations-was-an-important-novel-in-my-adolescence-it-was/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I would come, many years later, to understand why 'To Kill A Mockingbird' is considered 'an important novel', but when I first read it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/i-would-come-many-years-later-to-understand-why-to-kill-a-mockingbird/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [The plot is not very important to me, though a novel must have one, of course. It's just a line to hang the washing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/the-plot-is-not-very-important-to-me-though-a-novel-must-have-one-of/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > ['Atlas Shrugged,' let's face it, was probably the most important novel of the 20th century that was never a film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-s-ruddy/atlas-shrugged-let-s-face-it-was-probably-the-most-important-novel-of/) Albert S. Ruddy > [The experience of reading a novel and watching a television show are quite different. You can't let your audience get ahead of you, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-fairley/the-experience-of-reading-a-novel-and-watching-a-television-show-are/) [Michelle Fairley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-fairley/) > [Reading a novel of a private experience, very, very different, the nature of it is very different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/reading-a-novel-of-a-private-experience-very-very-different-the/) [Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/) > [“Happiness is.. reading a novel with your Bestie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrmn/happiness-is-reading-a-novel-with-your-bestie/) Vikrmn > [“Though a work of literature can be read in a number of ways, this number is finite and can be arranged in a hierarchical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-3/though-a-work-of-literature-can-be-read-in-a-number-of-ways-this/) [W H Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-3/) > [“It is the form that allows a writer the greatest opportunity to explore human experience...For that reason, reading a novel is potentially a significant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/it-is-the-form-that-allows-a-writer-the-greatest-opportunity-to/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [Reading a novel, War and Peace for example, is no Catnap. Because a novel is so long, reading one is like being married forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/reading-a-novel-war-and-peace-for-example-is-no-catnap-because-a/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I think reading a novel is almost next best to having something to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/i-think-reading-a-novel-is-almost-next-best-to-having-something-to-do/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [I've reread 'The Secret Garden' every year as an adult. I have a battered copy on my bookshelf - it's really quite a mess!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/i-ve-reread-the-secret-garden-every-year-as-an-adult-i-have-a/) [Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/) ## More by Karen Armstrong > [If it is written and read with serious attention, a novel, like a myth or any great work of art, can become an initiation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/if-it-is-written-and-read-with-serious-attention-a-novel-like-a-myth/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [A gentleman is not born but crafted. He had to work on himself in the same way as a sculptor shaped a rough stone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/a-gentleman-is-not-born-but-crafted-he-had-to-work-on-himself-in-the/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [I was a lousy nun. I couldn't do it. I couldn't find God. It wasn't suitable for me. It is suitable for very few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-was-a-lousy-nun-i-couldn-t-do-it-i-couldn-t-find-god-it-wasn-t/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [I have become convinced, through my studies, that the only way to achieve a safe, just and viable world is to live by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-have-become-convinced-through-my-studies-that-the-only-way-to/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [In the past some of the most influential Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologians, such as Maimonides, Aquinas and Ibn Sina, made it clear that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/in-the-past-some-of-the-most-influential-jewish-christian-and-muslim/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [The great task of our time is to build a global society, where people can live together in peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/the-great-task-of-our-time-is-to-build-a-global-society-where-people/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [We want to create, never mind the leaders or the bishops or chief rabbis or imams, or Popes. We want to create a grassroots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-want-to-create-never-mind-the-leaders-or-the-bishops-or-chief/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [If we don't manage to implement the Golden Rule globally, so that we treat all peoples, wherever and whoever they may be, as though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/if-we-don-t-manage-to-implement-the-golden-rule-globally-so-that-we/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [After I left the convent, for 15 years I was worn out with religion, I wanted nothing whatever to do with it. I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/after-i-left-the-convent-for-15-years-i-was-worn-out-with-religion-i/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“As we have seen, so many of the things we once took for granted have proved unreliable that we may have to “forget” old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/as-we-have-seen-so-many-of-the-things-we-once-took-for-granted-have/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Yet a personal God can become a grave liability. He can be a mere idol carved in our own image, a projection of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/yet-a-personal-god-can-become-a-grave-liability-he-can-be-a-mere-idol/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“I discovered that I felt at home and alive in the silence, which compelled me to enter my interior world and around there. Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-discovered-that-i-felt-at-home-and-alive-in-the-silence-which/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Each of the world religions has its own particular genius, its own special insight into the nature and requirements of compassion, and has something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/each-of-the-world-religions-has-its-own-particular-genius-its-own/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“all rightly guided religion that submitted wholly to God, refused to worship man-made deities and preached that justice and equality came from the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/all-rightly-guided-religion-that-submitted-wholly-to-god-refused-to/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“advocates of evolutionary theory since Thomas H. Huxley (1825–95) have found altruism problematic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/advocates-of-evolutionary-theory-since-thomas-h-huxley-1825-95-have/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) [Explore all 296 Karen Armstrong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We have seen that a myth could never approached in a purely profane setting. It was only comprehensible in a liturgical context that set it apart from everyday life; it must be experienced as part of a process of personal transformation. None, of this surely applies to the novel, which can be read anywhere at all witout ritual trappings, and must, if it is any good, eschew the overtly didactic. Yet the experience of reading a novel has certain qualities that remind us of the mythology. It can be seen as a form of mediation. Readers have to live with a novel for days or even weeks. It prljects them into another worl, parallel to but apart from their ordinary lives. They know perfectly well that this fictional realm is not 'real' and yet while they are reading it becomes compelling. A powerful novel bcomes part of the backdrop of lives long after we have laid the book aside. It is an excercise of make-believe, that like yoga or a religious festival breaks down barriers of space and time and extends our sympathies to empathise with others lives and sorrows. It teaches compassion, the ability to 'feel with' others. And, like mythology , an important novel is transformative. If we allow it do so, can change us forever.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karen Armstrong" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-have-seen-that-a-myth-could-never-approached-in-a-purely-profane/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-have-seen-that-a-myth-could-never-approached-in-a-purely-profane/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c7/karen-armstrong-1053_change_we-have-seen-that-a-myth-could-never-app_2482429.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c7/karen-armstrong-1053_change_we-have-seen-that-a-myth-could-never-app_2482429.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c7/karen-armstrong-1053_change_we-have-seen-that-a-myth-could-never-app_2482429.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We have seen that a myth could never approached in a purely profane setting. It was only comprehensible in a…” — Karen Armstrong", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Karen Armstrong", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We have seen that a myth...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-have-seen-that-a-myth-could-never-approached-in-a-purely-profane/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-have-seen-that-a-myth-could-never-approached-in-a-purely-profane/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```